Woes of a Writer
by khaleesimaka
Summary: Fangirl AU. Maka Albarn is a college student who writes fanfiction in her spare time. Soul Evans is her boyfriend who finds his girlfriends hobby adorable. This is a collection of one shots about their relationship.
1. A Perfect Boyfriend

**A Perfect Boyfriend**

Maka snuggled her toes deeper beneath Soul's blanket as she got more comfortable on his bed. Her laptop teetered on legs, fingers floated across black keys, and she typed out the next chapter of her fanfic. This one was different from the others. The main characters were about to get down and dirty at summer camp, and after building up the sexual tension between them for the last 30k words, nine chapters, it needed to happen.

She immersed herself in the world that she had created over the last five months. Imagined herself as her characters, walking across the dock to stare at the lake with the moon's light reflecting in the gentle waves. Heard their hushed voices as they spoke to each other in the dead of night, crickets chirping in the woods behind them. Felt the heat as their eyes locked and Harry's throat muscles tightened as he swallowed thickly. It was the perfect set up into the next scene when he leaned in to kiss Ginny softly, sweetly, and the scene after that when she became a little more hands-y.

Smiling to herself, Maka continued to type her story and wrote about things that she herself had never experienced. Of places she had never delved into in her own relationship or past ones.

At least, not yet.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Soul walked out wearing only his sweats. He dabbed at his hair to dry it, making his way over to the bed, and threw the towel onto the ground when he settled down. His legs swung up and he laid in the opposite direction so that he was facing her. One arm cradled his head up while the other reached out to stroke down her calf. A shiver ran up her spine, her attention being drawn away from her story briefly as she glanced up to greet him with a bright smile. He returned it and the room was filled with the noise of her typing once again while he continued to touch her.

It was funny how quickly he had gone from the shy boy who kept his distance into the man who couldn't keep his hands off her. They had only been dating for about a month now, and he used every opportunity she gave him to have some kind of physical contact.

She thought it was cute.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked.

"Writing."

"Writing what?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but shut it quickly as she chewed on her bottom lip. What was she supposed to tell him? That she was writing fanfic? Again?

Of course he knew about her love and obsession – it was how they had bonded – but she wasn't exactly comfortable admitting that she was writing _smut_. Dirty smut, at that. Smut that was so sinnful, she would have to go to church afterward and pray for forgiveness. Smut that would shame future generations because of how much they enjoyed and loved it and seeked refuge within it.

He knew she wrote fanfic, but he didn't know how far the tidings between Harry and Ginny went in her summer camp AU. Thank the heavens above that he was a slow reader and still on chapter three of her story and refused to read the reviews because of spoilers. Soul wasn't ready to know what the readers were craving for by this point. Nor was he ready to know that his girlfriend was supplying them with what they needed, satiating their thirst with the most detailed scene she had written thus far for the love story.

"Um, just stuff," she said, hiding further behind the screen of her laptop. Her skin felt warm, and it definitely wasn't from sitting in front of her computer.

"What kinda stuff?"

"School stuff," she said a little too quickly. She felt Soul's eyes squint at her so she elaborated. "I have a paper due on Monday for my lit class that I need to finish."

A few seconds of silence passed before he spoke again. "What's the paper on?"

"Um." She chewed on the corner of her lip as she thought out her answer. "Jane Austen and how her novels have progressed through the–"

"You're writing more of the summer camp thing, aren't you?" he cut in, poking her leg.

Maka's fingers stopped mid-sentence, her eyes strayed to him, peeking at him over the laptop screen, before darting back, and her cheeks burned. She hid further away from him as she scooted on the bed. The embarrassment of being caught was etched her voice when she spoke again, and she chided herself for being so obvious.

Why was she getting flustered over something so simple as writing fanfiction? Soul knew she did it. It wasn't like this was news to him or something. She was making it more obvious that she was writing naughty things that she shouldn't be writing, and her boyfriend was no idiot. He was a naturally curious person who liked to know about her personal life and be a part of it.

"Maybe," she mumbled.

He lowly chuckled. "Why are you hiding it from me still? I'm reading the damn thing, you know? I'm up to chapter five now."

She squeaked. He was getting closer to the sexual tension.

"And you know," he continued, "it's getting pretty heated between Harry and Ginny. Are they gonna kiss soon? Or are you gonna keep giving us those stupid scenes where you think they're gonna kiss but they don't? Because I'm tired of those! I want them to get together already! I'm tired of reading about Harry staring at Ginny's lips when she talks to the campers and wondering what they'd taste like."

She giggled. "Are you seriously complaining about a love story? I thought you said they were lame."

"That was before I read _your_ fic. Your writing is too good, Maka, and their love for each other is too strong. I hate it."

"If you really did, you would have stopped reading at the first chapter," she smiled.

Soul sighed. "Just tell me they get together, please! Does Harry get to touch one boob?"

"Keep reading and you'll find out. I'm not giving you spoilers," she said, thankful that her usual excuse was still useful here.

And that her laptop hid her blush from him.

"Just tell me," he whined.

His fingers toyed with the indention on her ankle and stroked along her toes sending a small wave of warmth through her body. She knew what he was doing; he was trying to butter her up, but it wasn't going to work.

Not this time.

"Soul, you were the one who said he wasn't going to read the reviews because he didn't want to find out what happens next. No spoilers."

"But you're my girlfriend! I don't mind if they come from you! You're the one writing it! And I'm your boyfriend, so don't I get to know the juicy details of what's to come?"

"Even if you are my boyfriend, I'm still not telling you."

"Then can I read what you're writing? I can be like your beta or something."

"You're just barely on chapter five and have been reading it for the last month when it isn't that long of a story," she deadpanned.

"So? What's your point?"

"It'll take you an entire week to beta read my chapters. You know I like to update quickly once I get going on writing. That's how it's been done since I started this new fic, and I'm not changing that."

He didn't speak for a few seconds, and feeling like she won, she went back to writing out Harry and Ginny's sexual adventures on the dock. It was pretty steamy. Harry's mouth was exploring Ginny's body and drawing out all of the delicious moans from her. Maka found herself licking and biting her lips, getting a little excited herself as she became more and more invested in the emotions and actions in her story. She was so enthralled, that she didn't notice the shift on the bed as Soul crawled over to her.

But she did feel his lips on her neck as he kissed her. And his hand softly squeeze her hip as his arm wound her waist.

Her fingers stopped typing, and she squeaked. His mouth was sweet and delicious as it moved on her skin, noisily sucking at her flesh. Teeth gently bit into her, only barely breaking skin, and her eyes fluttered closed. She moaned as he worked his way up to her jaw, kissing up to her ear before moving to her mouth. His curled around her chin as he made her turn toward him before his lips captured hers.

The kiss was deep and passionate – unlike any he had given her previously. Her hand wound its way into his hair to push him harder toward her as his tongue swiped along the seam of her lips. She opened slightly to grant him access, and it came forward a little before receding, his lips capturing hers as he lightly nibbled on them. He came in for another deep kiss and did the same thing, drawing out little moans from her as he did.

His hand held her neck, controlling her movements as his tongue caressed hers, and his thumb lightly stroked her skin. The action sent goosebumps pricking along her skin, and she found she enjoyed this kiss. It wasn't like their past ones. There was a fire beneath it – the want and desire from him evident – and she wanted more of it. God, did she want more kisses exactly like this.

Maka was just getting into it when he broke away from her. She whined in protest, but her want didn't last long as she saw him scoot to the other end of the bed with her laptop.

"Soul! No!" she yelled as she scrambled over to him.

She flailed her arms out toward him, trying to grab her laptop, but his own limbs were longer than hers. His foot softly pressed her away from him as his arms held the computer out of her reach. After a couple minutes of trying and failing, she finally gave up. Maka returned to the other side of the bed, put her back to him as she swung her legs over the edge, and pouted at the wall. She waited a few seconds before dipping down to grab her shoes and slipping her feet within them.

"I'm going back to campus. I'll call Liz to come pick me up. Or I'll take the bus. I don't know!" she said before getting up to gather her belongings.

"Seriously, Maka?" Soul asked. "You're gonna throw the pouty baby at me just because you don't want me to read your story?"

"I told you no already," she snapped. "I don't want you reading it, but go ahead! If it'll make you happy, read the next chapter of the story, but don't be offended if I don't sleep here again . Nor if I decide to not speak to you for the next week!"

A sigh left his lips and the bed moved again. She heard something be pushed across it. When she glanced down, eyes ready to give him the death glare of the century, her expression relaxed upon seeing her laptop there. She looked at him for an explanation.

"'S'not cool to read stuff your girlfriend asked you not to just because you really wanna read her writing, anyways," he said a little defeated. There was also a slight tinge of hurt in his voice that she didn't pay much attention to.

Maka glanced from him to her laptop and back again.

He had a sour look on his face; lips were pouting out slightly and it felt like it bothered him that she didn't want him to read her story. Like he was mad or upset that she didn't want him to enjoy this part of her life. Their relationship had been based on honesty and trust in the other that she didn't blame him for being slightly hurt. If the tables were turned and he refused to let her listen to him when he played the piano, she'd be hurt like he was now. Both her fanfics and his music were a piece of themselves that they each shared with the other.

Even if that writing dealt with sexual tidings they had yet to explore.

She licked her lips and sighed. Sitting back on the bed, she slid her laptop back over to him and toed her shoes off.

It wasn't like he wasn't going to read the chapter when he finally caught up, anyways. Maybe letting him get a sneak peek of what was to come would help move things faster and she'd finally be able to flail at someone about the rest of the story because it was good. _And_ she did need to test out the heartbreaking ending on _someone_. Who better to fill that job than the man who loved her and would only be angry at her briefly before she made up for it with kisses?

"You can read it," she sighed.

"You sure?"

"Yes. It's not like you won't find out what happens eventually anyways." She rolled her teeth over her bottom lip and played with the ends of her hair nervously. "Just hurry up and read it, okay? And give me your honest opinion! Don't sugarcoat it!"

He snorted. "How bad is it that you have to give me a disclaimer like that?"

"Read it before I change my mind," she snapped, blushing badly.

Standing up, he chuckled to himself and moved to the head of the bed. He picked up her laptop before flopping down beside her on his back, fluffing the pillows, and finding a perfect position to relax in before he began to read. Her stomach churned with nerves as she swung around to face him, brought her knees up to her chest, and nestled her face between them. His fingers used the keypad to scroll back up to the beginning of the chapter, and she waited in silence as he read.

Not five minutes into his reading and he began to hum his appraisal. Each were different as he dragged the intervals out sporadically. Some she was familiar with while a couple were to knew her, and it bothered her. Usually he talked to her when he read, pointing out different things in her story that he either liked or didn't like, or told her about an error in consistency when it came to it as a whole.

But this time? This time he only hummed and she wanted more! She wanted to know his exact thoughts about what he was reading and every single emotion that the story drew from him as his eyes sucked in the words.

"What do you think?" she blurted out.

Soul's lazy gaze pulled from the screen to look at her before returning, and he hummed.

"Sooouuuulll," she whined. "Tell me what you think! I wanna know everything!"

"I'm not that far into it yet, Maka. Chill."

"Do you think it's too much prose?" she asked, ignoring his words. She tucked her legs under her and scooted closer to him, trying to peek at her laptop to see where he was, but he tilted it away from her. "Maybe I should spend less time on describing the night and just focus on them being at the dock. What do you think?"

He didn't say anything.

A few tantalizingly stressful seconds rolled by before she spoke again.

"Does their conversation sound realistic and still in character? I feel like it's slightly out of character, and I can't have that because this fandom is so picky when it comes to–"

" _Holy shit_ ," he whispered, a red tint spreading across his cheeks.

Her heart dropped.

He had reached _the part_.

"You can stop reading!" she yelled. "You don't have to read that part!"

"No. Nope. That's not gonna happen."

"But it's embarrassing for you to read that in front of me!"

"You're the one who wrote it, though!" he said, turning his attention to her.

He must have seen the turmoil and stress etched on her face because the next she knew, she was being tugged down on the bed next to him. Soul tucked her under his arm, holding her tightly to his bare chest, and squeezed her shoulder. "If it'll make you feel better, you can hide while I read _this_ part of the story so you don't have to see my face. I'm guessing this is also where you wanted my honest, non-sugarcoated opinion?"

"Mm, maybe?" she squeaked. Maka buried her face into his chest as her cheeks warmed and mumbled, "Just read it before I yank my laptop away from you, please."

His playful chuckle reverberated through her chest, and she felt his lips kiss the top of her head. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's good. You're a great writer."

She didn't say anything.

Instead she waited for him to finish.

It was a long, anticipation building wait as he only hummed and sighed and squirmed next to her as he continued to read, unusually quiet.

Occasionally there was the audible gulp and the low sigh that sounded from his throat, but he didn't _say_ anything. He only continued to read. She took the noises and actions and digested them into words as she waited for the inevitable. Peeking from her spot, she glanced up at him to see that the blush was still there, but his face was hard like a rock. It scared her that she couldn't read his eyes; the worst comments were surely being spout in that head of his.

After a few minutes, Soul shut Maka's laptop, set on the nightstand beside him, and rolled over to hug her to him. His heartbeat lowly thrummed against her eardrum, a sweet lullaby that she loved so dearly.

She waited.

He still didn't say anything.

"What'd you think?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Mmm," he hummed.

But she realized a little late that he didn't have to say anything as something hard pressed against her lower abdomen.

" _Oh_ ," she gasped.

So that was the effect her writing had. That was nice to know.

"It was hot," he said, his breath tickling her forehead as he nuzzled into the space between them. "But I hate when you do the brackets thing. I wanna read it written out completely, not as little notes for yourself when you go back to writing. And you know you can ask me for advice instead of Tsubaki, right?" He paused and gulped. "I am a guy so I think I'd know better than her."

"I know, but it's–"

"Awkward," he supplied.

"Yea."

They laid there in silence, both ignoring the fact that he had a boner poking her in the stomach.

She snuggled herself against him and breathed him in. The smell of pine needles and the forest floor wafted up her nose, a smell she had come to familiarize herself with that of his after shave. Images of their relationship when the same scent flooded her nostrils flashed through her mind. A small smile curved along her lips. It was a very nice, homely aroma.

"You know," he croaked. He cleared his throat before continuing. "You know we can try to do what you wrote. Only if you want, of course."

She peeked up at him beneath her blonde fringe to see that his face was tight to conceal any emotions he might be feeling, but the light pink that dusted his cheeks gave him away. Wiggling up so that she was near his chin, she kissed the crook of his neck.

"I have thought of it," she started, "but I don't think I'm ready to do that yet."

Red eyes turned to her, and a gentle smile played along his lips as he whispered,"You're okay writing it, though."

"Well, yea, because that's different than actually–"

"I'm teasing. I think it's adorable that you write it, but aren't ready to do it yet. To be honest, what you wrote got me excited for when you are ready." He waggled his eyebrows, tossed her a cocky grin, and she lightly slapped his chest.

"Shut up! Don't be so crude!"

He chuckled. "If you say you aren't ready, then neither am I. But know that when you are, I'll be ready too."

His thumb and pointer finger cupped her chin, and he moved her away from him and back toward him before softly kissing her. It was tender and sweet, no heat hidden under it that had been evident in her story, and she knew he meant it. She may not have had much experience when it came to relationships and the opposite sex, but she had read enough _good_ fanfiction to know when her partner respected her. Not once did he point out the fact that he had a boner that needed tending to nor did he pressure her into doing something she wasn't ready for.

That was the definition of a perfect boyfriend if anyone asked her.


	2. Sanctuary

**A/N: This is a series of random events throughout Soul and Maka's relationship that all takes place under one AU so it will be bouncing around a lot. This happens before the previous chapter. Maybe I'll go back and date things so it'll make things easier. Thank you for reading and reviews are much appreciated.**

* * *

 **Sanctuary**

Since first arriving to Death University, Maka had two sanctuaries.

The first was her dorm room.

Her roommate was rarely in there so it gave her the kind of quiet she needed for doing homework or writing up the new alternate universe that had been bouncing around her head for the last three weeks. She was able to spend hours upon hours locked away in there until her eyes burned and fatigue finally overtook her. No one ever bothered her or even knew she was alive. Liz would text at least once just to make sure she was alive, but that was it. Other than the required ten minute phone call a day with her papa, she was left to her own devices there.

Death Library was her second sanctuary.

She mostly avoided the first floor unless she was in desperate need of coffee because she forgot to buy more at the store that week. The second floor was mostly filled with bookshelves and very little sitting areas that weren't occupied by school computers. But the third floor was where she liked to call home. The fact that it was a requirement to be absolutely silent and there were a few nice hiding places was appealing to her. Everyone who chose the third floor as their area of study, were considerate to each other by not taking over someone else's spot. It was the most ideal area on campus for her.

Both places she had held near and dear to her heart for the first couple months of living on campus. It wasn't until a certain someone decided to seek her out and bother her that it eventually changed.

Her study habits had gone from listening to dubstep pounding against her eardrums to hearing the ramble and cries of her boyfriend as he sat on her bed. She could no longer be observed into the world that she was writing for her fanfic because her boyfriend's voice always barged in. Or the brush of his fingertips as he gently tucked a loose strand behind her ear. It had become annoying that somehow this _boy_ had barged into her personal space. That she had let it happen was the worse crime of all, though. Maka should have had better control over her relationship. She should have-

An orange-yellow drink had been set down behind Maka's laptop. Her fingers stopped their typing as she stared at it before turning around to the person who had done it. Soul loomed over her with his own drink in hand - some drink probably coated in sugar - and raised to his lips as he took a sip, never breaking contact with her. His thumb and middle finger held onto the cup while his other fingers rose as he tipped it to his mouth. Maka felt her lips tug up into a small smile as he did so.

"Why do you drink it like that?" she asked.

"Dunno whatchu're talking about," he retorted.

"No one drinks their coffee like that, Soul."

"Yeah, they do."

"Name one person."

"Uuhhh," he said as he scratched the side of his nose.

Maka snorted and shook her head. "See! Not even you know one person who does that! It's lame and you know it."

"Shuddup."

He lightly kicked the side of her chair before huffing down in the one next to her. Settling his cup on the table, he rested his chin in his hand as he leaned against the hardwood. There was a loving, playful glint in his gaze as he stared at her that she had seen far too many times before, but it still made her smile.

"So whatchu working on?" he asked.

"The next installment of my latest story," she said automatically.

"Readers getting antsy?"

"Yep," she sighed.

"Good. Because I need it too," he grumbled to the row of books in front of them as he dropped his head against the table.

"Are you the anon who keeps reviewing that fic begging me to update?"

"No," he said a little too quickly. "I'm the anon that sends you messages on tumblr to do so."

Maka gaped at him. "Seriously, Soul? Do you know how annoying that is?"

"Well, yeah. Your last response made that pretty clear - OW! Maka! What the fuck?!" He rubbed his side where she had pinched a bit of his fat and twisted it around to make it hurt even more. "Was that because I sent you a few anon messages?"

"You sent me twenty!"

"What was I supposed to do? You would have ignored me if I asked you in person."

"So you bothered me on my blog? I knew I never should have shared that with you. It's enough that you bother me in my personal life, I don't need that in my internet one as well."

She was staring at her laptop screen - the black line blinking at her as it waited for her to continue typing - but she still sensed Soul's pout. It was several seconds until his arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her closer to him. He rubbed his head against her arm before he snuggled his face into the crook of her neck to kiss along her flesh. Maka tried to hold her ground as he whispered his apologies against her skin, a tingle running up her spine as he kissed a sensitive part under her jaw. When he blew against her ear, she finally broke down into a fit of giggles and pushed him away from her.

"Okay, okay! I forgive you!" she laughed.

Soul wrapped his hand around her wrist and kissed her palm before laying his head back down on the table. "I knew that would persuade you."

"You can be so ridiculous sometimes," she mumbled. She scooted her chair back in front of her laptop and readied herself to continue typing. "Lemme just write another k, and then we'll go. Alright?"

"'kay."

"And be quiet! I don't wanna be kicked out of here because we were too loud."

"Maka, it's a Friday night. We're by ourselves. Even the nerds know they should be out partying and enjoying themselves."

"Then why aren't you out with them? I thought you were going to that Fall Out Boy concert with Black Star."

He pursed his lips, blinked, and rolled his head to the opposite side, completely avoiding her question. "Finish your story. I'm hungry."

She opened her mouth to prod him more, but thought better of it as she went back to writing. It was hopeless to bother him more on the subject when he made it clear he didn't want to talk about it, that much she knew. Occasionally she did steal a glance his way, the question still burning on her tongue, before she pushed it to the back of her mind.

Of course she was more desperate to know now more than ever why he was cooped up in the library with her. He had made it clear more than once that he hated being in the building, yet he still insisted on sitting beside her when she was there. They had only been dating for about a month now, but he had done it even when they weren't together. She knew - as did he - that he would prefer to be at his apartment or out with Black Star performing some scheme they had come up with.

So why did he willing choose not to?

About an hour before the library closed, Maka shut her laptop and slid it into her backpack. She pulled out a book she had borrowed a few days before for one of her classes and dropped it on the table with a loud thud. Soul's head popped up. He took in a deep breath, smacking his lips together, and looked around like a confused puppy.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yep," he said a little groggily. He scratched the back of his head, fluffed up his hair, and stretched his back out as he yawned. "Didn't realize I fell asleep."

"Yeah. I think the custodians are gonna figure that out when they clean tonight." She nodded at a drool stain on the wood where he had been sleeping, and giggled when he groaned.

"Not again."

Maka put on her backpack, tucked her chair in, and tugged at the back of Soul's shirt for him to get up as well. "Come on. If we go now, they won't figure out it was you this time. Unless you want to see Marie's wrath again for ruining her _mahogany_ table."

"Nope! I'm good!" he said as he scrambled to stand up. "What time is it?"

"Um," Maka quickly checked her phone, "it's about 10:30. Did you still wanna get food?"

"Fuck yea! There's a diner by my apartment that's open 24/7. We can go there. If that's cool with you."

"Yeah. That sounds good." Her stomach grumbled. "I may not have had anything to eat since breakfast."

"Maka," Soul scowled, the same scowl she had seen one too many times in the past.

Before he could chide her on how important it was to eat three meals a day with snacks in between, she walked toward the doors that led to the stairwell. She heard Soul's annoyed sigh as he followed. They made it out of the library safely and into the bitter cold that came with attending a school that was located up north. Maka hugged her jacket tighter around her as Soul did the same, and they walked in silence to where his motorcycle was parked.

On the way, Maka slyly walked closer and closer to Soul, trying to shield her small body from the icy air that blew toward them. He got the hint as he wrapped his arm around her middle and tugged her close to him. When they passed by the fine arts building, he led her inside.

"Gotta make a stop real quick," he mumbled to her, but she didn't want to protest either.

The heat inside the building was much appreciated as it warmed her face, and she sighed in elation. She sat down on a bench inside the main area and swayed her feet side to side as Soul dug around his backpack. He pulled out a white sheet of paper that had lines on it and markings that she wasn't used to seeing.

"Forgot to turn in my homework for my music course. I'll be right back."

"Turning it in close to midnight. Typical," she playfully said.

"All the college students do it like that," he grinned.

"I would like to meet these mysterious college students who do all these things. They sound very interesting. But too bad they only live in your imagination."

"Haha, very funny. I'll be back."

"I'll be here."

His footsteps bounced against the walls as he made his way further into the building. Maka sighed as she sat there alone, glancing around at all the directions on the walls. All the medals that the school's band had won as well as the theater and solo musicians. Death University was one of the best fine arts colleges in America whose program rivaled that of Julliard's. It was one of the reasons Soul had chosen to come there instead of anywhere else. The other reason was because it ticked his dad off more than anything, and if anyone asked him, Soul would say that was a win alone.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see a notification from Facebook. Apparently Black Star had posted new photos on the social media site. Being the curious person that she was, Maka swiped her phone to check them out. She scrolled through the album - noting that it was the Fall Out Boy concert that Soul had said he was going to that night. But rather than her boyfriend being in the photos with Star, it was Kid. The last picture was of them smiling, sweat dripping down their foreheads, wearing the same shirt with their arms around the others shoulders.

It looked like they had fun, but it still didn't explain why Soul didn't go. Though she knew Black Star had a small, tiny crush on Kid, she also knew that wasn't the reason behind him going over her boyfriend. There had to be another one. Soul wouldn't miss out on seeing his favorite band because his best friend wanted to take his crush instead. No matter how loyal Soul was, music always came first.

"You ready?" Soul asked, startling Maka away from her phone.

She stuffed the device back into her pocket, locking it as she did, and stood up. "Yep."

He dug out his keys and headed to the front door to go back outside, but before he could, Maka whirled around and asked the question that had been bothering her for too long.

"Soul, why didn't you go to the concert with Black Star?"

"Uuhhh." He scratched the back of his head with his bike key. "It was cancelled."

Even if she hadn't seen the photos on Facebook, she still would have known he was lying. When it came to her, Soul was a terrible liar. She knew every one of his tells because he made them so obvious.

"Star posted pics on Facebook, you know," she said bluntly. No hint of anger at his blatant fib in her voice.

Soul opened his mouth to say something, but then closed again, looking outside as he mumbled, "I didn't wanna go after all."

"Why not?"

"Dunno," he shrugged. "I guess I wanted to go with someone else."

The last bit was so quiet that if she hadn't been hanging on his every word in dire need of an explanation, she probably would have missed it. Her chest warmed at the small sentiment, and the meaning behind them. She wasn't sure what to do. She either wanted to jump around and squeal or yell at Liz that Soul would rather hang out with her in the library than see his favorite band ever in concert.

But she didn't do either.

Instead, she bit down on her lip and ran to hug Soul around his waist, burying her face against his chest. Her mouth pulled up into the widest smile she had ever had in her entire life. It was nice knowing that she had a boyfriend who cared about her so deeply. Soul had done so much for her since they started dating, and even before that. He was the nicest, sweetest, most caring boyfriend she had ever had. While anyone else would have ridiculed and insulted her love of writing for a fictional couple, he praised and encouraged it.

Maybe having Soul intrude in her sanctuaries wasn't that bad after all.

"What did I do?" he asked, a little shocked.

"Nothing. My nose was cold, and I wanted to warm it up."

Now she was the one lying.

"Oh, okay. Did you still wanna get burgers?"

Maka silently laughed to herself.

Soul was a sweet and caring boyfriend, but sometimes he was an idiot as well.

"Of course," she said as she propped her chin against his chest and smiled up at him. "I haven't eaten almost all day so I'm starving! You're paying by the way."

"When you're not eating the entire menu," he said.

She puffed out her cheeks in the way that she knew made him smile and playfully said, "If I faint and fall off your bike in the middle of the highway because I'm lightheaded from lack of food, it'll be your fault."

"You're a child."

"Takes one to know one." She stood up on her tiptoes, kissed his cheek, and wrapped her hand with his as she pulled him out of the building. "Now come on, I'm starving!"

Soul laughed at her. "You staying at my place tonight?"

"Can we marathon horror movies and cuddle on your couch?"

He grimaced. "Can we marathon Disney movies afterward?"

"Sure," she smiled.

"Then, yeah. Sure. Why not? We can watch your lame horror movies."

"If they're so lame, why do you always use me to hide from the tv?"

"If you tell anyone that, I'll deny it."

"I know." She paused in front of the doors and turned around. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she stood up to gently press her lips against his. "Don't worry. I'll save you from the all monsters," she whispered.

She felt his smile against her skin as he said, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

They left the fine arts building and walked to his bike entangled in the others arms as they tried to keep warm from the cold. Once on the bike, Maka pressed her face against Soul's back, pulled the hood of her jacket up, and slid her hands beneath his jacket. After they ate a late dinner, they went back to his place and watched movies until they both fell asleep on the couch.

Maka's favorite sanctuary, and most important one of all, was being snuggled up in Soul's arms with his gentle breathing lulling her to sleep. It made her feel safe and secure.


End file.
